How to Share a Link to a Specific Phrase on a Webpage

How to Share a Link to a Particular Phrase or Text on Any Webpage

Have you ever wanted to share a webpage with someone but direct them straight to one specific sentence or phrase buried deep in an article? Instead of telling them to "scroll down to the third paragraph" or "search for this phrase using Ctrl+F," modern browsers now offer a much more elegant solution. With a feature called Text Fragment links, you can generate a URL that automatically scrolls to and highlights any specific piece of text on a webpage. It's one of those quietly powerful browser features that most people have never heard of — but once you know about it, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.

What Are Text Fragment Links?

Text Fragment links are a type of URL that include a special instruction telling the browser to locate a specific phrase on the page, scroll directly to it, and highlight it for the reader. When the recipient clicks the link, they land not just on the webpage but on the exact passage you intended them to read.

The syntax uses a hash-based directive at the end of a standard URL. It looks something like this:

https://example.com/article#:~:text=your%20phrase%20here

The #:~:text= portion is the key component. Everything that follows is the text you want the browser to find and highlight. While that might look a little intimidating at first glance, the good news is that you almost never need to construct these URLs manually. Browsers and browser extensions do the heavy lifting for you.

Which Browsers Support Text Fragment Links?

Browser support for Text Fragment links has grown significantly in recent years. Here is where things currently stand:

Google Chrome — Fully supported. Chrome was the first browser to introduce this feature and remains the most seamless experience for both creating and receiving Text Fragment links.
Microsoft Edge — Fully supported, as Edge is built on the same Chromium engine as Chrome.
Opera and Brave — Also Chromium-based, so these browsers support the feature as well.
Apple Safari — Support was added in Safari 16.1, meaning most modern Apple devices running iOS 16 or macOS Ventura and later can handle these links.
Mozilla Firefox — As of mid-2025, Firefox support is available but may require a flag to be enabled in experimental settings. Firefox users may not see the text highlighted automatically, though the page will still load correctly.

Even when a recipient's browser doesn't fully support the feature, the link still works as a normal URL. The person just won't be scrolled to or shown the highlighted text — a graceful fallback rather than a broken experience.

How to Create a Text Fragment Link in Google Chrome

Chrome makes the process remarkably simple thanks to a built-in right-click menu option. Here's exactly how to do it:

Open the webpage containing the text you want to share.
Use your mouse to click and drag to select the specific phrase or sentence you want to highlight.
Right-click on the selected text to open the context menu.
Look for the option that reads "Copy link to highlight" and click it.
The URL is now copied to your clipboard. Paste it anywhere you want to share it — in an email, a Slack message, a social media post, or a document.

When someone opens that link, the browser will scroll directly to your chosen phrase and highlight it in a soft yellow color, making it immediately obvious where they should focus their attention.

How to Create a Text Fragment Link on iPhone or Android

Mobile browsers have also embraced this feature, though the steps vary slightly by platform and browser.

On Android with Chrome

Long-press on a word within the passage you want to share. Drag the selection handles to cover the full phrase. Tap the Share option in the pop-up toolbar, and then choose "Copy link to highlight." The resulting URL works the same way as on desktop.

On iPhone with Safari

Select the text you want to highlight by tapping and holding, then dragging to adjust the selection. Tap Share from the pop-up menu. Safari will generate a link that, when opened on a supporting browser, scrolls directly to and highlights the selected passage.

Practical Uses for Text Fragment Links

Once you start using this feature, the use cases become obvious. Researchers and students can share academic articles and point teammates directly to the relevant finding. Writers and editors can flag specific sentences in drafts for review. Customer support teams can link clients to the exact line in a FAQ or policy document that answers their question. Journalists can share sources with readers while spotlighting the precise quote that matters.

The feature is also extremely useful in professional settings. Instead of forwarding a 10,000-word report and asking a colleague to hunt for a paragraph, you can drop a link that takes them exactly where they need to go. It saves time, reduces miscommunication, and makes collaboration significantly more efficient.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Text Fragment Links

Keep selections short and specific. A phrase of five to fifteen words is ideal. Very long selections can make the URL unwieldy and may cause matching errors if the page content ever changes.
Use unique phrases. If the phrase you select appears multiple times on the page, the browser will jump to the first instance it finds, which may not be the one you intended.
Test the link before sharing. Open it in a new incognito or private window to confirm it lands exactly where you expect.
Pair it with context. Even though the browser highlights the text, adding a brief note explaining why you're sharing the link makes communication clearer.

A Small Feature With a Big Impact

Text Fragment links are a prime example of how browser developers are quietly improving the way we communicate online. The ability to share a link that points not just to a page but to a precise phrase within that page closes a long-standing gap in how we reference digital content. Whether you're collaborating at work, conducting research, helping a friend find information, or simply trying to make a point in an online discussion, knowing how to share a link to a specific phrase gives you a sharper, more precise tool for communication. Best of all, it takes only seconds to use once you know where to look.